Slots would be net loss for Millbury

Wednesday

Aug 7, 2013 at 6:00 AM

By Brian Ashmankas

On July 23rd, the Millbury Board of Selectmen voted to sign the host agreement with Mass Gaming & Entertainment, thus scheduling a referendum on Sept. 24th for a Millbury slots parlor. My colleagues on the board felt that the best arbiters of this decision are the citizens and, although I understand and appreciate this view, I felt that after all the research I did on the matter I could not in good conscience support this endeavor, and was the lone vote in opposition.

I would like to take the opportunity to share with you what I learned in my research and to encourage you to join me in voting "no" on Sept. 24.

First, why do you like to live in Millbury? One of the big reasons, I believe, is the town's balance between the access, connectedness, and opportunities of urban areas and the safety, charm, and cooperative spirit of the rural. A slots parlor will surely shift the balance toward the urban and result in the loss of some of what makes Millbury, Millbury.

Crime is another concern. The statistics provide a mixed picture, often depending on the agenda of those developing them. However, one fact is clear when you push these numbers aside. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, about 2 percent of people in the United States are gambling addicts.

That number is certainly higher near a casino. Further, 40 percent of gambling addicts have committed a crime to finance this addiction. The idea of a single Millbury resident becoming a gambling addict or being victimized by one is intolerable to me.

Traffic is the elephant in the room. Placing a casino next to the already-congested Shoppes at Blackstone Valley will almost certainly increase the problem. The traffic plan proposed by the casino's engineers is inadequate. They say they are funneling 91 percent of casino traffic through at least one of the traffic lights on the bridge leading to the mall, a recipe for a major bottleneck.

Meanwhile, McCracken Road and Greenwood Street cannot handle the traffic they have now, whether 9 percent of casino customers reach the slots parlor that way as the developers claim or greater, it is simply more than the neighborhood can manage.

So why are we considering this proposal? The $3.25 million plus per year in tax revenue.

However, if the casino's projection of $200 million in revenues per year is correct, then my research and conversations with the developers indicate about $33 million will come from within a 5-mile radius of the site.

In other words, they are taking $33 million from us and returning just $3.25 million in tax receipts, less than 10 percent.

Millbury's slots parlor will get its money from you, your friends, and your neighbors, and then redistribute a small portion of that to the town's budget and another small portion to their employees. Most of the revenues will go to the casino owners and to the commonwealth.

It should also be noted that this money will not provide any reduction in taxes for the citizens, as the revenues would most likely be spent on schools, police, roads, and other needed services.

Although the $3.25 million in additional tax revenue will help the town to provide better services in the short term, it fails to take into account the long-term costs associated with the project.

This proposal was rushed through to make the state's deadlines, so no impact studies were conducted. The numerous studies conducted in Palmer indicate that we can expect to see a jump in the costs of building inspection, fire prevention (possibly requiring a full-time department), police, health inspection, and even a drop in the local aid we receive from the state.

Further, given the size of the parking lot and building, we can also expect additional costs in stormwater management. Property values are also at risk of dropping. The amount of these costs is unclear without further study. By the time these costs are known, the slots parlor will be open and the new revenues allocated.

There are many reasons to oppose this slots parlor. But whatever your reason, I urge you to make your opinion known in one of the following ways: Join No Slots in Millbury by contacting the president Lesa McWalters at lesamcwalters@yahoo.com, ask our elected officials in the statehouse who represent the residents and taxpayers of Millbury to stand with us against this project, and most importantly, vote "no" on September 24th.